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2014 Japanese Grand Prix
| poletime = 1:32.506 | fastestlap = 1:51.600 | fastestlapdriver = Lewis Hamilton | fastestlapnation = GBR | fastestlapteam = | fastestlapnumber = 39 | winner = Lewis Hamilton | winnernation = GBR | winnerteam = | second = Nico Rosberg | secondteam = | secondnation = GER | third = Sebastian Vettel | thirdteam = | thirdnation = GER }} The 2014 Japanese Grand Prix (formally the 2014 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix) was the fifteenth round of the 2014 Formula One season. It was the 30th running of the Japanese Grand Prix as a round in the championship. It was held between 3 October and 5 October 2014. Nico Rosberg took pole position, but in a race affected by the rain of Typhoon Phanfone, Lewis Hamilton won. The race experienced two red flags, initially for the extreme wet conditions, but later a race-ending red flag after Jules Bianchi was seriously injured in a crash. Nine months later, on 17 July 2015, Bianchi died of his injuries at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) in Nice. He was the first driver to be killed as a result of a race accident since Ayrton Senna at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. __TOC__ Background In the days leading up to the first practice session, a volcano on Mount Ontake erupted, killing 47 people. Despite this disaster, it was concluded that the race would go on as scheduled. Max Verstappen was given his Free Practice début for , replacing Jean-Éric Vergne, becoming the youngest driver to take part in a Grand Prix event, only celebrating his 17th birthday on the previous weekend. Roberto Merhi took over Kamui Kobayashi's for FP1. Will Stevens was to drive in FP1 for , replacing Max Chilton, but the paperwork did not go through, so he was unable to take part. On the championship fronts, Lewis Hamilton's victory at the previous race gave the Brit a three-point lead over Nico Rosberg, for whom fresh electrical parts would be required after his wiring loom failure. lead the championship by a large margin that would take until the final race to recover. If Mercedes score a one-two with Red Bull failing to score any points, Mercedes would win the Constructors' title. Typhoon Phanphone was predicted to hit Japan on Sunday, meaning the race was expected to be wet, but all the sessions were to be unaffected by the typhoon. While a lot of rain was expected for the race, the worst of the storm was to arrive on Monday, meaning teams were likely to have issues travelling to the . Entry list Practice Overview FP1 FP2 FP3 Practice Results Qualifying Q1 Q2 Q3 Qualifying Results Notes: * * Jean-Éric Vergne dropped 10 grid places for engine change * ^ Pastor Maldonado dropped 10 grid places for engine change Grid Notes: * * Jean-Éric Vergne dropped 10 grid places for engine change * ^ Pastor Maldonado dropped 10 grid places for engine change Race Report Post-race Jules Bianchi, still unconscious, was driven to Mie General Hospital, as the weather conditions meant using the medical helicopter was not possible. Bianchi underwent a CT scan, which showed a severe head injury, and was immediately operated on. Later that night, he was moved to intensive care and was reported as breathing unaided, though the latter report was soon reported as false. Unsurprisingly, celebrations were muted and every driver and team personnel paid their respects to Bianchi and all hoped that his condition would improve as fast as possible. Lewis Hamilton stated after the race that Adrian Sutil's accident did not require the safety car; and also stated that the conditions, while bad, were not the worst he had driven. Felipe Massa claimed that he had been "screaming" about the severity of the weather for five laps before the race was stopped. The red flag on lap 46 mean that results were counted back to lap 44, and full points would be awarded. This moved Sebastian Vettel up to third, saw Nico Hülkenberg be classified eighth and meant that both Bianchi and Sutil were credited with classified finishes. In terms of the Championship standings, Hamilton extended his lead over teammate Nico Rosberg to ten points, while further down Fernando Alonso's retirement combined with Vettel's podium meant that German moved up to fourth in the championship. extended their lead over to 190 points. Death of Jules Bianchi Sadly, nine months after the race, on 17 July 2015, Jules Bianchi died of head injuries as a result of his accident at the age of 25 in Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in his hometown in Nice, France. He had been in an induced coma since the accident, in which he suffered a diffuse axonal injury. He became the first Formula One driver in 21 years to die as a result of injuries sustained during a Grand Prix session. The last was that of three-times World Champion Ayrton Senna on 1 May 1994, during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Bianchi's grand-uncle Lucien Bianchi had also died in an accident 46 years prior, during Le Mans testing. The Formula One fraternity, mostly friends and team-mates of Bianchi, sent their tributes and condolences, including world champion Jenson Button and his wife Jessica Michibata, Bianchi's Marussia teammate Max Chilton, test driver Alexander Rossi, 2015 Toro Rosso driver Max Verstappen, former Caterham drivers Giedo van der Garde and Kamui Kobayashi, pit lane reporter Natalie Pinkham, 2015 Marussia drivers Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi, Williams test driver Susie Wolff, stand-in presenter Jennie Gow, and most of those racing at Suzuka including Kevin Magnussen, Daniel Ricciardo, Felipe Massa, Valtteri Bottas, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Marcus Ericsson, Felipe Nasr, Fernando Alonso, Romain Grosjean, Pastor Maldonado, Daniil Kvyat, Sergio Pérez and Esteban Gutiérrez. Results Note: *Pastor Maldonado was given a 20-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane. *† Jules Bianchi died on 17 July 2015 after receiving head injuries from hitting a recovery vehicle that clearing Sutil's car away. Fastest laps Laps in the lead By lap Totals Milestones *Lewis Hamilton's 30th victory. * 's failure to score a point was the first race in which they failed to do so since the 2010 British Grand Prix, setting the record for consecutive points finishes at 81 races. *Held on Kevin Magnussen's 22nd birthday. *Jules Bianchi's final F1 race, due to his fatal accident. *Jules Bianchi's death on 18 July 2015 made him the first F1 driver to die as a result of a race accident since Ayrton Senna at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Standings after race Notes Category:2014 Grands Prix Category:Japanese Grand Prix Category:Formula One races in Japan